Mazal Tov!

Looking for a unique way to mark your Bar or Bat Mitzvah Celebration?

Give the gift of love and include the children of Shalva

A Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a special time for all members of the family, as they celebrate a child taking his or her place in the Jewish community. Your child can make his/her celebration more meaningful and memorable by sharing it with a peer in Shalva, and immeasurably enhancing everyone’s experience.

Celebrating with B’nei Mitzvah from Around the World

Learning how to become a giver is one of the most important and rewarding ways to step into adulthood. Seeking meaningful ways to mark a Bar/Bat Mitzvah milestone and contribute to Israel at the same time, young people from around the world are choosing to become givers by helping raise money for Shalva in their communities.

We are proud to say that Shalva greatly appreciates our many new, young ambassadors! When visiting Israel, participating youth are thrilled to see their names recognized on Shalva’s honorary B’nei Mitzvah Dedication Wall.

Your Role is UniqueYou don’t have to travel to Israel to pass on the inspiration because there’s more than one way to connect your simcha to the children of Shalva from abroad.

Either share a portion of your gifts with the children of Shalva, or lead a Mitzvah Project to mark your special day.
We’ve seen Challah Bakes, Sport Tournaments and lots of other creative fundraising ideas.

In return, participants who donate $180 or more receive a beautiful certificate, suitable for display, which acknowledges their partnership with Shalva’s Bnai Mitzvah Project and for a minimum contribution of $1,800, participants are recognized on Shalva’s honorary B’nei Mitzvah Dedication Wall.

We’d love to tell you about any of the wonderful programs you can sponsor through your donation.

SportsSponsor Shalva’s basketball team. The 12 players, ages 17-18, practice once-a-week with a professional coach from Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club and for 90 minutes the kids step onto the court fulfilling their dreams to become star players.

MusicThe Shalva Band provides an opportunity for children to express themselves through music and shatters misconceptions about individuals with disabilities, proving how talented and capable they are.

SwimmingShalva’s hydrotherapy center serves hundreds of babies, children and teenagers with disabilities from around the country. Through swimming, the children learn how to trust themselves, their bodies and the society around them.

TherapiesThere are so many abilities that we take for granted. But when a child is born with disabilities, only intervention that starts during infancy and continues over the long term ensures that strength, social-skills and tools for independent living will be learned and maintained.

The B’nai Mitzvah Dedication Wall

Located inside the main dining hall on the third floor, the new dedication wall for B’nei Mitzvah is a dazzling work art that illuminates the Shalva National Center with color and beauty. Using the mixed mediums of glass fusing and natural wood sculpture, renowned artist, Barak Uranovsky depicts the image of a vibrant and flowing, three dimensional, open Torah scroll. The rainbow of emerging colors, rounded edges and wavy design was chosen to represent the universal value of acceptance of all and to celebrate the unique qualities that each person has to contribute to the world. Individually crafted in a glass fusing process that bonds tainted metal enamel and partially melted glass in an electric kiln at high temperatures, each 1/4 inch thick plaque reveals its own unique shade of color. The process of glass fusing is in itself a metaphor of transformation that relates both to the transition of coming of age and to the challenging journey of Shalva’s children as they learn to live and thrive beyond their disabilities. Through intense heating, the metal imperfections are able to change their frequency to become the brilliant color reflected in each piece of glass.

Visiting Israel for your Bar/Bat Mitzvah?
Come Dance With Us!

Come join Shalva in Israel!
You and your family can celebrate with the children of Shalva as your guests of honor. Arrive to a buzzing dance floor and move on to a heart-warming festive meal and/or a Mitzvah Project.

From our experience, this is something that remains forever in everyone’s memories.

Whatever you choose to focus on –
you will make a difference in the lives of our children.